Day 134: The Story Tree

Books on cd are my newest obsession.  I keep a collection of some of our favorites in the console of my car, and listening to them makes any road trip infinitely more fun and enjoyable for all of us.  Books on cd have also proven to be a lifesaver for me at bedtime, as I now have a fun, easy way to help my son wind down and relax while I put my daughter to bed.  He'll lie on his bed with a favorite book and just snuggle up and listen to the story on cd while I put little E down in the next room.  Then, I'll come in and we'll read a few stories together before I shut off the light and let him listen to another story.  Up until recently, my husband or I would lie next to W while he fell asleep, telling him stories that we made up along the way. (We've come up with many new tales of Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine over the years!)  Now, we have happily added books on cd to our nighttime routine.  I vividly remember listening to the Velveteen Rabbit as I fell asleep each night when I was a little girl.  There is something so soothing about falling asleep to a story, isn't there?  We were lucky to get a few of his favorite stories on cd this past Christmas, but his favorite at the moment (which he has listened to every night for two weeks now) is The Story Tree, a gorgeous anthology collection of traditional folk tales from around the world.  There are seven stories in all, some of which we were happy to discover we already knew from other stories we have read.  Monkey See, Monkey Do, a classic tale from India, is the storyline for the beloved Caps for Sale.  The Blue Coat, a Jewish story, must be the basis for Simms Taback's Caldecott winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.  Other stories with which you are probably already familiar include The Little Red Hen (English) and the Three Billy Goats Gruff (Norwegian).  The three remaining tales that make up the Story Tree are The Magic Porridge Pot (German), The Sweetest Song (African-American), and my son's favorite, Little Lord Feather-Frock, a Russian story about a cunning fox, a not-so cunning rooster, and an out-witting duo of a cat and blackbird.  I just love that this book calls attention to the culture or country of origin of each story along the way, and my son loves finding them all on a map. Fortunately, W loves snuggling up and having me read the stories to him just as much as he loves listening them on the cd, though I have to say, I quite enjoy listening to the fabulous narrator Hugh Lipton's lovely British accent.  Sophie Fatus' colorful illustrations are playful and fun, as well, making this story as much fun to see as it is to hear.  I have no doubt that The Story Tree will be read, listened to, and enjoyed many times over in our family in the months and years to come.